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Call for articles: User-led, P2P Science

Science is increasingly being produced, discussed and
deliberated with cooperative tools by web users and without the
istitutionalized presence of scientists. "Popular science" or "Citizen
science" are two of the traditional ways of defining science grassroots
produced outside the walls of laboratories. But the internet has
changed the way of collecting and organising the knowledge produced by
people - peers - who do not belong to the established scientific community. In
this issue we want to discuss:

- How web tools are changing and
widening this way of participating in the production of scientific
knowledge. Do this increase in participation consist in a real shift
towards democratizing science or on the contrary is merely a rhetoric
which do not affect the asymmetrical relationships between citizens and
institutions?

- The ways in which both academic and private
scientific institutions are appropriating this knowledge and its value.
Do we need a new model to understand these ways of production and
appropriation? Are they part of a deeper change in productive paradigms?

We
would like to collect both theoretical contributions and research
articles which address for example case studies in social media and
science, peer production, the role of private firms in exploiting web
arenas to collect scientific/medical data from their costumers, online
social movements challenging communication incumbents, web tools for
development.

Interested authors should submit an extended
abstract of no more than 500 words (in English) to the issue editor by JUNE 1st, 2009. We will select three to five papers for inclusion in this
special issue. Abstracts should
be sent to the JCOM's editorial office (jcom-eo@jcom.sissa.it) by email and NOT via the regular submission form.